Windshield cleaner



June 21, 1938. T. J. SCOFIELD 2,121,266

' v WINDSHIELD CLEANER Filed Feb. 1, 1,931

Patented June 21, 1938 I 2,121,266

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WINDSHIELD CLEANER Theodore J. Scofield, Jackson, Mich., assignor to The SparkS-WithingtOn Company, Jackson, Mich., a corporation of Ohio Application February 1, 1937, Serial No. 123,341

2 Claims. (Cl. 74-78) This invention relates to improvements in from line 4--4, Figure 2, and with a portion of windshield cleaners in which a pair of wiper elethe supporting bracket thereof broken away.

ments are oscillated back and forth in contact Figure 5 is a view, similar to Figure 4,'illustratwith a surface of the windshield by a common ing the rack frame and linkagemechanism. actu- 5 motor. ated thereby in a second position. 5

The main objects of this invention are to pro-, Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on vide a transmission apparatus for operatively the line 66, Figure 5. connecting the drive shaft of a windshield clean- The windshield cleaner mechanism, as illuser motor with a pair of wiper operating units trated in the drawing, comprises a motor I of any 10 mounted in positions remote from the motor suitable construction mounted upon a supporting 10 which is simple, economical and durable in conbar or plate 2 secured to the inner face of the struction and which is applicable to modern Windbody 3 of a motor vehicle below the windshield 4. shields of various types and designs. 1 The motor I has the drive shaft 5 thereof pro- A more specific object of the invention is to vided with a crank arm 6 which is rotatably provide a transmission mechanism for operatively and releasably connected by abolt I or its eouivll connecting a pair of wiper units with a common alent to the outer end of a drive bar 8 concleaner niotor whether of the electric, fiuid presnected with a rectangular frame 9. This frame 9 sure, or mechanical type, and wherein the drive is provided with a pair of rack members or sets shaft of the motor is rotated either continuously of rack teeth I0 and II which extend longitudiin one direction or alternately, first in onedirecnally thereof and which are arranged one at G0 I tion and then in the reverse direction. either side of the frame in parallel relation with Another object of the invention resides in proa each other. The rack members I I] and II are I viding a transmission linkage of the above menarranged in different planes for meshing engagetioned class whereby the motor may be quickly .ment with a respective pinion I2 and I3. The and easily detached from the linkage mechanism pinion I2, as shown more particularly in Figure 5, 26 to permit cleaning, oiling or the replacement of is secured to one end of a pinion shaft I 4 which parts of the motor. is rotatably mounted within a hollow shaft I5 A further object is to provide a windshield connected with the other pinion I3. The shaft cleaner apparatus embodying two cleaner .units 1 I5 is journaled in a bracket I6 which, as shown in 30 with a transmission mechanism for connecting CFigure 2, is connected with the plate 2 to be'sup- 30 said units with a common motor whereby the ported thereby at one side of the motor I.

I cleaner elements of the units will be moved si- Two wiper operating units I8 are secured to the multaneously toward or from each other and body 3, one at either side of the motor I and when in the parked position both elements will be frame 9, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Each of 36 maintained out of the line of vision. these units I8 comprises a shaft 20 which is jour;

' Other objects and advantages pertaining to the naled in a housing 2| secured by screws 22 or the structure of my device and to the relation of the like to the body 3 adjacent the windshield 4 at parts thereof will more fully appear from the folthe lower side of said windshield. One end of lowing description taken in conjunction with the each shaft 20 extends to the outside of housing 0 accompanying drawing, inwhich: 2I and has secured thereto, in any suitable man- 40 Figure 1 is a detail transverse sectional view ner, a wiper arm 23 which carries awiper blade of an automobile body illustrating the windshield 24. Secured to each shaft 20 and mounted within front elevation and a windshield cleaner emin the corresponding housing 2| is a gear 26 which bodying the various features of this invention opmeshes with a segmental gear 21 rotatably superatively connected therewith. ported by a bracket 28 secured, in any suitable 45 Figure 2 is a detail horizontal sectional view manner as by the screws 22, to the body 3 of the taken substantially in the plane of the line 2-2, vehicle beneath the housing 2I,-the body 3 being Figure 1, illustrating the greater portion of the provided with a suitable slot beneath each houswindshield cleaner mechanism shown in Figure 1 ing 2| to permit the meshing of gears 26 and 27 in top plan. (see Figure 3). 50

Figure 3'is adetail vertical sectional-view taken Each segmental gear 21 is provided with an 'on line 3-3, Figure 1. arm 21'. Each of these arms is operatively con- Figure 4 is a detail side elevation of the rack nected with a respective one of the pinion shafts frame and adjacent portions of the linkage and Hand I5 by link 29 and crank arm 30. Each pinion mechanism associated therewith as viewed of the links 29 is provided with pivotal connec- 55 tions 3| and 32 for pivotally connecting the same with a respective arm 21' and crank arm 30. The crank arms 30 are fixedly secured to a respective shaft I4 and 15 to be actuated thereby. A guide disk 34 is mounted upon shaft l4 intermediate the pinions l2 and I3. This disk 34 is of slightly greater diameter than pinions l2 and [3 for engaging the adjacent inner faces of the racks Ill and H, as shown in Figure 6, for maintaining the frame 9 against lateral displacement, whereby said racks will remain in meshing engagement with a respective pinion l2 and I3 during the reciprocating movement of the frame. A

spacing washer 35 may, as shown in Figure 6, be mounted upon shaft l4 intermediate the outer end of shaft [5 and crank arm 30, connected with shaft l4 and which co-acts with the disk 34 and shaft I5 for maintaining the shaft l4 against axial displacement.

It will now be apparent that when motor I is operating, the drive crank arm 6 connected with the motor shaft 5 will produce reciprocation of frame 9 whether the arm 6 is driven continuously in one direction or is moved backward and forward with an oscillatory movement by the motor. The length of the arm between shaft 5 and pivot I will, of course, be such as to determine the length of the stroke of reciprocation of frame 9 in either case. Reciprocation of frame 9 produces oscillation of driven arms 30 in opposition to each other due to the engagement of rack I!) .with pinions 12 at the opposite side of the axis of rotation of the pinion from that in which rack ll engages pinion l3, that is, when frame 9 is moving from the position shown in Figure 4 toward the right as indicated by arrow X, arms 30 will swing in opposite directions as indicated by arrows Y through similar arcs, until they reach the position indicated in Figure 5 at the end of the first stroke of frame 9. This swinging movement of the arms 30 will move links 29 away from each other and produce a similar movement of crank arms 21' and the wiper ,arms 23 connected therewith by gears 26 and 21 to swing wiper blades 24 in directions away from each other.

Likewise, during the return stroke of frame 9, that is, when frame 9 is moved from the position shown in Figure 5 in the direction indicated by arrow X to the position shown in Figure 4, the driven crank arms 30 will be rocked as indicated by arrows Y through similar arcs in opposite directions to the initial positions thereof. shown in Figure 4. The links 29 are moved thereby toward each other which will, of course, produce a corresponding rocking movement of gears 21 and effect the return of wiper arms 23 and the wiper blades 24 carried by the latter arms to their respective initial positions.

It is thus seen that the wiper blades 24 are oscillated by power derived from motor I and applied through the transmission mechanism comprising racks H], H, pinions l2, l3, arms 30 and links 29 to said blades to clean corresponding areas of the windshield 4 indicated by broken lines A, Figure 1. During this cleaning operation the wiper blades 24 are moved in unison in opposed directions to provide for a maximum amount of vision and a minimum amount of confusion to the operator of the vehicle.

Although the construction and operation of my power transmission mechanism are particularly simple, practical and efficient, I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown as various changes may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A transmission mechanism for operatively connecting an actuating member to a pair of driven elements comprising a pair of shafts mounted in telescopic relation to rotate with respect to each other about a common axis, means including a pair of drive members mounted to reciprocate through definite strokes in a direction substantially normal to said axis for operatively connecting the shafts with the actuating member whereby said shafts will be simultaneously rocked in opposite directions, and means including a linkage mechanism for operatively connecting each of said shafts with a respective one of said driven elements.

2. In a transmission mechanism of the character described, a pair of oscillatory actuating shafts, a pair of crank arms connected with the respective shafts to oscillate therewith, a pair of drive gears, one gear for each shaft, oppositely disposed reciprocating rack members constantly meshing with the respective gears, and means for operatively connecting the crank arms with a respective element to be actuated thereby.

THEODORE J. SCOFIELD. 

